Austin Rivers Reportedly Will Opt into $12M Clippers Contract

After parts of four seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, guard Austin Rivers opted in for a fifth season on Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times' Brad Turner. 

According to Spotrac, Rivers will make $12.65 million after opting in for the 2018-19 season.

Rivers was selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the then-New Orleans Hornets, but after he struggled to gain traction, he was dealt to L.A. during the 2014-15 campaign.

The former Duke standout began to make strides under father and head coach Doc Rivers, and he enjoyed the best season of his career in 2017-18 with averages of 15.1 points, 4.0 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 61 contests.

Rivers saw more playing time than ever before, and he was one of the main beneficiaries of an offseason trade that sent Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets.

Despite his progress in recent years, Rivers' father made it clear in 2016-17 that he wouldn't hesitate to trade him if the deal were to make the team better, according to ESPN.com: "Listen, I would trade anyone. You have to be willing to do that...and he would be one of them. And any of them would be one."

Prior to those comments, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported that the Clippers were discussing a deal with the New York Knicks for Carmelo Anthony and that Rivers was in the mix to go the other way. However, Melo was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder during the offseason.

Rivers still hasn't developed into the type of player New Orleans hoped it was getting with the No. 10 overall pick, but there is no question that the 25-year-old has made steady progress during his six NBA seasons.

With each passing year he has improved his shooting, and he also enjoyed his best season from beyond the arc in 2017-18, as he connected at a rate of 37.8 percent.

In addition to that, Rivers' versatility increases his value, as he is a true combo guard capable of picking up solid minutes at either shooting guard or point guard.

Rivers isn't an ideal ball-handler or catch-and-shoot guy, but he contributes enough across several different areas to be a solid starter or excellent bench player for the Clippers in 2018-19.